Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, July 23, 2026 – Puerto Vallarta police stopped employees at a concrete-block company from sending MXN 300,000 after locating a coworker whom telephone extortionists had directed to hide in a vacant lot.
The attempt began Tuesday afternoon at a business along Avenida Poetas in the Villas del Real area of El Pitillal. Callers told employees that one of their coworkers and a minor had been kidnapped and demanded an immediate payment in exchange for their safety.
At the same time, the callers were communicating separately with the worker. They instructed him to remain out of sight in a vacant lot in the Víctor Iturbe neighborhood.
The attempted scheme relied on keeping the two sides apart. Employees at the business were led to believe their coworker was being held, while the worker was isolated and discouraged from communicating with anyone who could expose the deception.
Staff called 911 rather than making the requested deposit. Municipal officers searched the area and found the worker within minutes. He had stopped answering the callers before police reached him, and officers determined that no physical kidnapping had taken place.
No money changed hands. The initial report did not disclose whether investigators traced the telephone number or payment account, whether a criminal complaint was opened, or whether any arrests were made. It also did not clarify the minor’s location during the incident.
The case follows earlier PVDN reporting on extortion attempts targeting Puerto Vallarta small businesses. The latest attempt shows how a caller can use information about employees, relatives or daily routines to make an invented emergency appear credible.
The Jalisco State Prosecutor’s Office maintains prevention material covering telephone fraud and extortion. Mexico’s federal security agency identifies 089 as the anonymous reporting line when a report requires investigation, but no emergency is actively unfolding. Immediate threats should be reported through 911.
Businesses can reduce the pressure created by such calls by requiring independent verification before any payment. A second employee should contact the supposedly missing person through a separate number, alert management, and preserve the caller’s number, messages, and payment instructions. No employee should transfer money solely on the basis of a telephone threat.